DownSyn Forum Forum Index DownSyn Forum
Extra Chromosome... Extra Family
 
shoppingShop   Watched TopicsWatched Topics   FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   CalendarCalendar  RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   MapMap   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 
Forum TourForum Tour 

FAQ
Login and Registration Issues
Why can't I log in?
Why do I need to register at all?
Why do I get logged off automatically?
How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings?
I've lost my password!
I registered but cannot log in!
I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!
I login without an error but it keeps telling me that I'm not logged in!

User Preferences and settings
How do I change my settings?
The times are not correct!
I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
My language is not in the list!
How do I show an image below my username?
How do I change my rank?
When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.

Posting Issues
How do I post a topic in a forum?
How do I edit or delete a post?
How do I add a signature to my post?
How do I create a poll?
How do I edit or delete a poll?
Why can't I access a forum?
Why can't I vote in polls?
Why do I keep getting a session error?

Formatting and Topic Types
What is BBCode?
Can I use HTML?
What are Smileys?
Can I post Images?
What are Announcements?
What are Sticky topics?
What are Locked topics?

User Levels
What are Administrators?
What are Moderators?
What are the other titles? How do I get my title changed?

Watching Topics
What does 'watching a topic' mean?
How do I get alerts?
How do I watch a topic?
Where can I see a list of the topics I am watching?

Calendar
What is the calendar?
How do I view the calendar?
How do I add an event?
Can I add replies to an event?

Map
What is the map?
How do I add myself to the map?
What are the other fields, map greeting and map image?

Private Messaging
I cannot send private messages!
I keep getting unwanted private messages!
I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!

Printer-Friendly Topic View
What is the print page button for?
What are the boxes on top of the printable output?
How to print only one message? - Advanced range selection

AJAXed
What does AJAXed do?
What can I do with AJAXed?
How do I work these features?
Who created AJAXed?

phpBB 2 Issues
Who wrote this bulletin board?
Why isn't X feature available?
Whom do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?

 

Login and Registration Issues
Why can't I log in?
Have you registered? You must register in order to log in. Has your account been approved? All new accounts must be approved by the admins/moderators before you can post. Have you been banned from the board? A message will be displayed if you have. If so, you should contact the webmaster or board administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. Usually this is the problem. If you still can't login to the forum, contact Tom or one of the moderators and they can check your account.
Back to top
Why do I need to register at all?
Our goal is to make our forum a safe and educational place and allowing unregistered visitors can lead to unpleasantness. Besides, registration will give you access to additional features not otherwise available such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing to fellow users, the chat room, calendar, special forums, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.
Back to top
Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
Back to top
How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings?
In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
Back to top
I've lost my password!
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
Back to top
I registered but cannot log in!
First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are correct then one of two things may have happened: if COPPA support is enabled and you clicked the I am under 13 years old link while registering then you will have to follow the instructions you received. If this is not the case then your account may need to be activated. The reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid and you have given enough time for one of us to review and validate your account then try contacting Tom or one of the moderators.
Back to top
I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!
The most likely reasons for this is you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered). We do not normally delete accounts, even if they aren't used, so if you can't login try contacting Tom or one of the moderators and we can help find your account or help you re-register.
Back to top
I login without an error but it keeps telling me that I'm not logged in!
Some people have been having a technical problem when they try to log in caused by a cookie problem from the old forum. You can fix this by deleting your old cookies. Assuming you are using Internet Explorer:
  1. Select TOOLS from the menu bar
  2. Select DELETE FILES (this will delete all the files in the IE cache - these are only temporary files)
  3. Select SETTINGS... and then VIEW FILES...
  4. All that should be left are the cookies since you deleted everything else
  5. Look for cookies labeled either downsyn.com or www.downsyn.com and delete them.
  6. Go back to the forum. You should now be able to login without any trouble.
If you are still having trouble, email Tom and we will try to help you.
Back to top

User Preferences and settings
How do I change my settings?
All your settings can be changed by clicking the Profile link (shown in the cluster of icons in the top right-hand side of every page).
Back to top
The times are not correct!
The times displayed on the forum are based on the timezone you have selected in your profile. You can change your timezone by going to your profile settings and changing your timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users.
Back to top
I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The board is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time.
Back to top
My language is not in the list!
The most likely reasons for this are either Tom did not install your language or someone has not translated this board into your language. Try asking Tom if he can install the language pack you need or if it does not exist, please feel free to create a new translation. More information can be found at the phpBB Group website (see link at bottom of pages)
Back to top
How do I show an image below my username?
The image you see below some user names on the forum is known as an avatar. This is generally unique or personal to each user. You can add or change your avatar by going to your profile and following the instructions.
Back to top
How do I change my rank?
In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). We use ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users. For example, moderators and administrators have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank. That would be both silly and pointless since it is there only to help you identify people who are more experienced with the forum.
Back to top
When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.
Sorry, but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form. This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users and spammers.
Back to top

Posting Issues
How do I post a topic in a forum?
Easy -- click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You must register before you can post a message. The functions available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list)
Back to top
How do I edit or delete a post?
You can only edit your own posts but you can't delete posts at all. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied. It also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they will leave a message saying what they altered and why).
Back to top
How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one. You do this via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.
Back to top
How do I create a poll?
Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic) you should see a section labeled Add Poll below the main posting box. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being for a poll that never closes. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list.
Back to top
How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then you can edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll.
Back to top
Why can't I access a forum?
Certain forums are limited to registered users and others are limited to the administrators and moderators. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the moderators and administrators can grant, so you should contact them.
Back to top
Why can't I vote in polls?
Only registered users can vote in polls. If you have registered and still cannot vote then there might be a problem with your registration. Please contact Tom or one of the moderators and they will fix your account.
Back to top
Why do I keep getting a session error?
If you get a session error when trying to post, this usually means that you waited too long between the time you started writing your post and the time you finally submitted it. You should just be able to resubmit your post without any problem.

If you are using the AOL browser and continue to get this message you should change to either Internet Explorer or Firefox as your regular browser. Neither of those have a problem with sessions. You can get a copy of Firefox from the Mozilla home page.
Back to top

Formatting and Topic Types
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. You can disable BBCode on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
Back to top
Can I use HTML?
No. This is a safety feature to prevent people from abusing the board by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems.
Back to top
What are Smileys?
Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether.
Back to top
Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag).
Back to top
What are Announcements?
Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. Only Tom and the moderators can post an announcement.
Back to top
What are Sticky topics?
Sticky topics appear below any announcements in viewforum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements, only Tom and the moderators can post sticky topics in a forum.
Back to top
What are Locked topics?
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
Back to top

User Levels
What are Administrators?
Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums. Tom and Michel are the board administrators.
Back to top
What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals whose job it is to look after the running of the forums. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
Back to top
What are the other titles? How do I get my title changed?
The other titles are based on the number of posts a member has made to the forum. The purpose is to help identify those members who are new to the forum and those members who are experienced in using the forum.
Back to top

Watching Topics
What does 'watching a topic' mean?
If you see a topic that you are interested in following, you can add this topic to your watch list and the forum will alert you whenever someone posts to this topic.
Back to top
How do I get alerts?
The forum will send one email to you the first time someone posts to a topic that you are watching. You will receive no other emails alerts for that topic until you visit the forum again.
Back to top
How do I watch a topic?
You can watch any topic by clicking on the watch topic icon above the posts. You can also use this icon to stop watching any topic that is already in your watch list.
Back to top
Where can I see a list of the topics I am watching?
In the upper right-hand corner of every page in the list of icons is an icon labeled watched topics. Click this icon to see all of the topics you are currently watching and to remove any topics from your watch list.
Back to top

Calendar
What is the calendar?
The calendar is used to track events such as birthdays, anniversaries, surgery dates, or any other important date.
Back to top
How do I view the calendar?
In the upper right hand corner in the group of icons is an incon for the calendar. Click on the link and the calendar with events for the current month will be displayed. You can use the select boxes or arrows to view any month.
Back to top
How do I add an event?
Find the calendar for the month you want to add an event to and then click on the day you want. This will display the details for that day. Click on the add event button to add an event to that day.
Back to top
Can I add replies to an event?
Absolutely! Events work exactly like topics. When you click on an event it will display as a topic and you can reply just like any other topic.
Back to top

Map
What is the map?
The map displays where our members live so you can see who lives nearby or who lives near where you plan on vacationing.
Back to top
How do I add myself to the map?
There are several ways to add your location to the map but all start with your profile page. Go to the profile page and then find the location section.
  • You can set your longitude and latitude if you know it. OK, so you don't know it... you can try the next option
  • Click on the find your coordinates link next to the longitude and latitude and then follow the instructions. This option will let you click on a map to set your latitude and longitude.
  • You can enter a zip code, postal code, city and state or a city and country in the Map Zip/Postal Code field and the forum will try to find your latitude and longitude.

Back to top
What are the other fields, map greeting and map image?
When a member clicks on your icon on the map, they will see your board name and a link to your profile. You can use these fields to add a greeting and a small image to display with your name.
Back to top

Private Messaging
I cannot send private messages!
There are two reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on or the board administrator has prevented you individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why.
Back to top
I keep getting unwanted private messages!
The board doesn't have an ignore list for the private messaging system yet. For now, though, if you keep receiving unwanted private messages from someone, inform Tom or one of the moderators. They have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages.
Back to top
I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!
We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try to track users who send such posts. You should email Tom with a full copy of the email you received and it is very important this include the headers (these list details of the user that sent the email). We can then take action.
Back to top

Printer-Friendly Topic View
What is the print page button for?
By clicking on the print button, the current topic will be redisplayed so that all the posts for the current topic are displayed on a single scrolling screen. This will make it easier to print a topic that goes across multiple pages.
Back to top
What are the boxes on top of the printable output?
There are two boxes on top of the page and a Show button. They allow you to select a range of messages. Note that every message in the printable view has a number. Use those numbers to fill out the boxes on top to set up the first and the last message you want to be printed, and press the Show button to rearrange the messages. Another way to set a range is to put a negative number in the second box, which will mean that you want -n of messages to be printed. For example, 4 7 will output messages 4, 5, 6, 7. However if you enter values 4 -7 in first and second box respectively, messages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 will be shown after you press the rewind button.
Back to top
How to print only one message? - Advanced range selection
First, go to the printable view of the topic by pressing the Printer button in the topic view. Find your message and note the number in the left of it. Type that number into the first box in the top left of the printable view. In the second box put value -1 and press the Show button. This will output only one message starting from the given one. Another way of getting this result is by putting the same number in both boxes. Let's say you want to print only the message number 16. Fill out the boxes in the top as such: 16 -1 and press the go button Show. Instead of 16 and -1 you could as well enter 16 and 16. The result will be the same. This example will work only if there are at least sixteen messages in the current topic, of course.
Back to top

AJAXed
What does AJAXed do?
AJAXed is Ajax for phpBB. Ajax is Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. For a number of tasks, only small amounts of data need to be transferred between the client and the server, allowing a number of Ajax applications to perform almost as well as applications executed natively on the user's machine. This has the effect that pages need only be incrementally updated in the user's browser, rather than having to be entirely refreshed. Every user's action that normally would generate an HTTP request takes the form of a JavaScript call to the Ajax engine instead, wrote Jesse James Garrett, in the essay that first defined the term. Any response to a user action that doesn’t require a trip back to the server such as simple data validation, editing data in memory, and even some navigation the engine handles on its own. If the engine needs something from the server in order to respond if it’s submitting data for processing, loading additional interface code, or retrieving new data — the engine makes those requests asynchronously, usually using XML, without stalling a user’s interaction with the application.
Back to top
What can I do with AJAXed?
Some of the feature with AJAXed are:
  • Inline Post editing.
  • Delete/Move/Lock topic when viewing a forum.
  • Delete/Move/Lock topic when viewing the topic.
  • Delete post.
  • Change post title.
  • Instant preview.
  • User list instead of hitting the find button.
  • Username Checker.
  • Password Checker.
  • Post Menu.
  • Poll Menu.

Back to top
How do I work these features?
  • Inline Post editing: When viewing a topic, double click on a message and a text box should come up. You can make the text box bigger or smaller with the + & - buttons. Just hit submit when you are ready to update the post.
  • Delete topic when viewing a forum: If you have premission to delete topics in that forum, will get a delete button to the right of the topic title. When you click the delete button, you'll get a confirm message to see if you really want to delete the topic.
  • Move topic when viewing a forum: If you have premission to move topics in that forum, will get a move button to the right of the topic title. When you click the button and menu will appear with all the stuff on the really move topic page has.
  • Lock/Unlock a topic when viewing a forum: If you have premission to lock/unlock topics in that forum, you will be able to click the topic folder image to change the topics status.
  • Delete/Move/Lock topic when viewing the topic: These features are just like they are in basic phpBB but you can do them without reloading the page.
  • Delete post: If you have premission to delete the post, you will get a confirm message to make sure you dont want to delete it on accident.
  • Change post title: If you have premission to change the post title, you can double click on the topic title to get a text feild, to have it update hit enter on your keyboard. If you edit the first post title it will also change the topic title.
  • Instant preview: Instead of reading the page when you want to preview your post or pm, you can do it without reloading the page. To get it to work, type your message in and it the preview button.
  • User list: As you are typing a username in a pm or other places, as user list will be generated with username related to what you are typing.
  • Username Checker: When registering a new account or just change your usrename, the site will automaticly check it the username is takin or not as you type.
  • Password Checker: When registering a new account or just change your password, the site will tell you if your password matches with images.
  • Post Menu: While viewing a topic, you can double click on a message of a post and you well get a post menu with a bunch of features for users and moderators.
  • Poll Menu: While viewing a topic, you can double click on the poll, if there is one, and get a menu for that poll. This menu is loaded with features for the moderators.

Back to top
Who created AJAXed?
The first verison of AJAXed(0.0.1) was created by wGEric and was picked up by *=Matt=* when he got picked to do the AJAXs part in the MODing Most Wanted.
Back to top

phpBB 2 Issues
Who wrote this bulletin board?
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyrighted phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed; see link for more details. This version has been extensively enhanced by Tom who is has been a computer programmer for over 25 years.
Back to top
Why isn't X feature available?
This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Group. If you believe a feature needs to be added then please visit the phpbb.com website and see what the phpBB Group has to say. Please do not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, as the Group uses sourceforge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for features and then follow the procedure given there.
Back to top
Whom do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
You should contact Tom. Please note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. It is absolutely pointless contacting phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpbb.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do email phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response or no response at all.
Back to top

All times are

Jump to:  
Click above to help support this site
Click below to help support the DSRTF



Down Syndrome: For New Parents

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2008 phpBB Group